Automobiles and trucks which have sustained body damage from accidents or weathering are frequently repaired at both authorized automotive manufacturers' dealerships, as well as independent motor vehicle body repair shops. Manufacturers of body panels for motor vehicles, such as automobiles and trucks, dedicate a substantial portion of their production capability to the manufacture of body panels for this service and repair industry.
To supply the repair industry, motor vehicle manufacturers ship large numbers of vehicle body panels from manufacturing plants to various locations around the world. Because vehicle body panels are extremely susceptible to damage during handling and shipment, manufacturers of these parts expend a substantial amount of time and effort in packaging said body panels for shipment. This effort includes the design of specialized containers and equipment for packaging parts as they leave the production line.
Typically, an unfolded corrugated cardboard carton stack is placed in proximity to the discharge end of the manufacturer's paint processing line. At this point, the body panel has been completely manufactured, coated with primer or primer and paint, and allowed to dry. The part is removed from the conveyor and placed by hand on the top of the unfolded container. The container is then formed, by folding, to surround the completed part, and secured with adhesives. Frequently, the completed container is then further secured with metal or plastic straps, bands or tape. The completed container is then physically carried to a standard size storage and transportation rack. Each said rack is capable of holding a number of assembled containers. When the rack is filled, it is moved from the assembly line area to the storage or shipping area for further processing.
Present methods are unacceptable for a number of reasons. First, the process of physically manufacturing the completed container from a carton blank is time consuming. Further, assembly line workers, under a certain amount of pressure to maintain a steady volume of parts moving through the assembly line process, frequently do a poor job of completing the construction of the container. The assembly of containers of this nature is likewise a poor utilization of human resources; such containers can frequently be made safer, faster, and at lower cost by machine, or by the use of dedicated container assembly labor at container manufacturing plants. Because of the time constraints of container manufacture at the assembly line, a production bottle neck exists at the packaging end of the assembly line, limiting the number of parts which can be economically manufactured and stored for packaging. Further, when the completed container is placed in the rack, until such time as the rack is completely filled, the individual containers are prone to tipping, sometimes causing damage to the container and its contents, and generally making the process of loading the storage and shipping rack difficult, at best. The use of plastic and metal banding materials is undesirable in a modern packaging environment, inasmuch as these particular strapping components are generally non-recyclable, adding to both packaging and disposal costs.
Finally, it is important for the ultimate recipient of the completed container and its cargo to have the option of inspecting the cargo. At the present time, such containers are typically provided with a non-reusable closure, such as tape or bands. This makes it difficult for the recipient to open and reseal the container, a process which may have to be performed many times during the transportation, handling and storage of the container and its associated cargo.
The present invention overcomes all of the foregoing shortcomings.